


The Definition Of Love Doth Not Oppose

by Quxxnrandomness



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Courtly intrigue, F/F, F/M, Gay Sex, Gratuitous Smut, Homophobia, M/M, Mother-Daughter Relationship, Mother-Son Relationship, Multi, Other Pantheons, Polyamory, Racism, Torture, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-28
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-04-28 22:06:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14458782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quxxnrandomness/pseuds/Quxxnrandomness
Summary: I don't like Persephone being portrayed as a selfish-cow so here she is being motherly to Nico, who gets many hugs and kisses, and Hazel, who is so badass she's a Princess. Also some angst appears, Demeter is a bitch to the House of Hades, everyone hates Hera, Hades is cool, Hestia is a prankster genius, Hecate is queen of snark and I love this world. The basic premise for this work is working through pain; spiritual (Nico Di Angelo), physical (Persephone) and emotional (Hazel Levesque) with a heck ton of references, supernatural creatures, gayness, gratuitous violence, sex, drugs and smoking involved. Please review and tell me any comments or prompts you wish added; but be aware this is a work-in process so there will be a great deal of revision.





	The Definition Of Love Doth Not Oppose

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, this is definitely NSFW territory straight off the bat. There will be sexual explicit content in this work and a lot of it with be detailed so just warning you now for all of that just in case. Now; this work is a consequence of my own interpretation of Rick Riodan's world but a lot of its themes are adult so Trigger Warning in place for: Racism, Sex, Homophobia, Suicidal thoughts, Lesbian Sex, Gay Sex, Polyamory, and flash-back references to sexual assault as well as some references dotted here and there. I've changed up the ages a little because I still feel a little weird at having a 14 year old Hazel go for a 16 year old Frank - it's a little creepy so here she is fourteen-about to go onto fifteen and he is 15 years old exactly. Also the time period is just after Heroes of Olympus with no Trials of Apollo because Rick isn't finished with it and I don't want to constantly revise everything as a result. A/N: This is a work in progress so be aware of some revision of chapters at time to time.

* * *

_** Chapter 1: 3rd August 2010, 2 days after the End of the Second Giant War: ** _

By Quxxnrandomness

*****Please Enjoy*****

* * *

**William Solace:**

* * *

_"Gods,_ _he's just as attractive as I remember!"_ Will thought to himself as he struggled with the urge to fix the birds nest of hair which his ma always bemoaned as being too unruly for what she deamed a proper Southern gentleman.

 _"William Elijah Solace; ya got three minutes to fix that ungodly mess before I take a pair of clippers to it!"_ his Ma would always holler every Sunday when he was living back in Texas in the old days when it was safe for him to come home for the summer. One time she even followed through with the threat; utilising twelve years of sheep sheering on the family ranch to quickly cut his hair so short it looked like he was fixing to go to War, when he foolishly tried to back talk that it wasn't his fault nature made his locks go all floppy. Tip for the future; never try arguing with a five foot six Texas woman when her mind is set on something - it only ends with you nearly being eaten alive by your peers for looking like a bedraggled puppy. The only response his Ma ever gave when he quietly complained about the teasing was that she hoped he'd learned his lesson about being polite to his elders and that she could have just sheered all of it off if he really wanted something to complain about. From then on, the only reminder he needed to keep his appearance looking proper was a stern look and a single finger pointed at - to his eternal humiliation - the framed photo his Ma took of him in the early stage of having that awful cut to keep in line.

To his credit; at least he had the time to change out of the bloodied scrubs he'd been stuck with after the War when the amount of patients made keeping up appearances next impossible - now that would have been a nightmarish image that would have made Death Boy run for the hills. Though, thinking on it a bit, he hadn't had a shower for  round about two or three days so he probably stunk to high Olympus ... Gods above he wasn't prepared for this. What kind of tomfoolery had gripped him to practically drag that poor boy into the infirmary without as much as a single show of how do you do or proper manners? It shamed him to remember how briskly he treated the poor guy; who by this time probably thought he was a complete brute to ever speak to The Infamous Nico Di Angelo in the way he did. Bless his heart though, because if there was one thing Will knew it was that Di Angelo was definitely in needing a little loving after all the horrors he'd been through so he had resolved to try his best to apologise for the whole thing in a manner his Ma could be proud of.

First things first, though, he had to say that Death boy definitely him weak in the knees with that stoic yet calculating look in his eyes. Even in the sunlight - no, especially in the sunlight - Nico Di Angelo was probably one of the most ... impressive and unattainable heroes of his generation who could, given time, acquire quite a large posse of young and pretty gals admiring his very noticeable good looks. From those sly as a fox dark eyes, sharp cheekbones that looked like someone had chiselled them from marble, and if he wasn't mistaken quite impressively defined muscle under that ironically colourful tropical shirt - how could he not find him eye catching. Will could easy discern even from this distance the cautious yet almost regal way the Di Angelo boy held himself as he made his way towards him. It was not the walk of a Roman, like that of the Grace boy - all bluster and prideful as if he was a peacock in some other life, or even the easy manner of the Greeks, like that of Percy Jackson - all calm and yet hinting towards some hidden cockiness. Rather it was something unique to him, the walk of someone who'd walked alone for far too long and seen far too much before they should, and so it wasn't surprising that Will had developed a slight - repeat slight - fondness for the roguish outlier but he couldn't let his eyes wander too much since he was gonna be his patient after all.

Will took a bracing breath as Di Angelo drew closer; carefully placing a good arm's reach between them as he took a hesitant stance in front of him like he was hoping for the best but still expecting the worst of him. "So, Death Boy, wanna tell me what that was all about?” he tried to engage as Nico's eyes scanned nervously him up and down in a way that made Will's heart shudder in sympathy to the poor thing. Bless his heart, it was almost like he was just waiting for Will to disappoint him and that was just unacceptable in his book because no one should feel that downcast around a Sunny guy like him. His mind cycled back out of the blue to a classmate of his back in school who had been in the foster care system with multiple foster parents who kept returning him for being 'a problem child'; meaning he was closed off and not willing to bond as fast as they thought he should have to what they thought themselves to be his 'saviours'. Poor kid kept himself to himself, just looking out of the window whenever class started and never really spoke unless a bully came upon them and then he just turned nasty as a sort of learned self-defence system. The next day the kid, Billy Will remembered, was just gone and no one really saw him again after the lady who'd been caring for him got sick of being ignored and returned him for a bright and smiley eight year old she wanted. _"Was that the fate of Di Angelo too; to be so expectant of rejection that he just forgets completely how to be social" -_ Will felt nausea at the very thought. No kid should be rejected simply because they were a little closed off; they just needed a little time and little loving from someone who wouldn't give up.

Will's eyes were suddenly drawn to what he thought might be a nervous twitch in Nico's hand as he suddenly blurted out "No. We are going in?” in a way that spoke volumes on how much social interaction in his life was actually positive. From what Will knew, Nico Di Angelo hadn't had the best time at it - according to local gossip by the Aphrodite kids which was scant and at times as contrary as a Texas springtime - but Will was keen as mustard to get to know the solemn hero no one really knew much about. Of course, he knew that his sister had been killed on a quest to save Aunty Artemis, that he'd spent many years off the reservation, and fought in many of the big battles against various Titians, Giants, Primordial Forces, and crazy Romans - that was common knowledge but the specifics were more difficult to pin down then a Rattle snake in untamed grassland. Therefore, it had fallen on him to get to know and induct this shadowy figure back into civilisation with open hands and good conversation - something that couldn't happen if he kept being all twitchy on him.

They moved into the infirmary as Will quickly looked over the rest of the patients to see if they were going to be needing anything and thanked his little sister Kayla kindly for holding down the fort until he could wrestle the newest resident into his new accommodations. Over the past few days he'd managed to heal most of the injured the battle thanks to his siblings tireless healing hymns and prayers to Father but there was still a few stragglers to take care of. Thankfully the majority of them were not life-threatening like they were immediately after the battle but a few cases ... let's just say he wasn't holding out hope for since they seemed too far gone for anything less than a miracle to make them recover. Maybe Nico's presence might be a good thing because if there was anyone Will couls think of being able to hold off death it would be the son of Hades ... it as like he'd be far as a either if as a turned out that Thantos was back a particularly difficult day.

Speaking of; “Come on in, slowpoke, there's time to brood on life’s mysteries later!” he called to Death Boy as he stood at the entrance of the Infirmary like some sort of Vampire needing an invitation to cross the freshold ... did that sort of thing apply to children of the Underworld? Considering the only people who would ever know would be the Hecate kids like Lou Ellen, aka some of the most secretive and slightly terrifying campers out there since they never really interacted with anyone much; it could be. Ever since the Titian War; those girls had been more like a bunch of feral black cats then people - darting out to do mischief and then retreating back into Cabin Twenty before anyone could prank them back. It wasn't surprising then for Will to find himself questioning on a regular basis whether Lou Ellen herself saw him as a friend or just a convenient human snuggle heater during the winter months and easy target for hair dye related pranks in the summer given her aloof nature, bless her heart.

He watched on as Nico resolutely refused to acknowledge anyone's questioning looks; keeping his eyes downcast as he moved silently towards him with heckles raised like a tiny feral kitten spooked by a buggy. Will noticed the distinct hum of the infirmary had pretty much gone silent as the infamous new resident carefully tried to stay at least an arm or so's reach from their cots, with everyone's eyes glued to him like he was some sort of attraction in a zoo. Sympathy shot through him as he noted a few, not many but a few, of his patients actually etching away from him and grabbing their blankets closer as if he was somehow dangerous in his introverted state - mostly including those from Demeter (probably due to their connection to his step-ma the Lady Persephone) and Hebe (for an unknown reason).

Most though were just fascinated, peeking at him in varied states of amazement at seeing one of the unofficial members of Argo 2 in person and gratefulness in his selfless actions to end the Civil War between Romans and Greeks with the Athena Parthenos - in particular little six year old Maisie from Ares, who no doubt would be bugging him for stories later on when she yet again escaped his sibling's clutches. That little monkey had already got into a water balloon fight, stole a whole tray of chocolate muffins for a food fight, and climbed to the top of the Big House - thus spraining her hand when she inevitably fell off when she lost her balance, freaking out her elder siblings while she just rolled around giggling. Maisie clamoured on top of her blankets to get a good look at Nivo as he slipped passed, smiling in awe 

 

scene maisie falls off bed an nico catches her.

Eventually they do the corner out og sight from curious eyes as theu entered the private ward Will had specially allocated the son of Hades. “Good, now I see you’ve never been admitted here so I’ll need to work through a patient history before we can proceed any further. Are you ready?” Will asked as he quickly retrieved and clicked his pen in preparation to write down what he thought would be forthcoming answers to his questions on a spare chart nearby.

 “Fine, I guess!” Nico murmured as he stood with his back to the window

“Great! Could you tell me your full name, date of birth, where you were born, your parent’s names including your divine parent, and your emergency contact details to start with?”

“I was born Nico Emmanuelle di Angelo on January 28th, 1924 in Venice, Italy. My mother was Maria Isabella di Angelo and Lord Hades of the Greek Pantheon. My emergency contacts are Hazel Levesque who is a centurion of the Fifth Cohort and my half-sister as well as Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano who is the Praetor of the Twelfth Legion!”

"Chin up, buttercup! It won't be that bad!"

* * *

**Nico Di Angelo:**

* * *

I am utter fool, Nico thought, as he walked back across the green towards Will Solace with his mind racing with constant trains of thought of what he was walking into.

Why had he even agreed to that ... that ... fluffed up Golden Retriever of a boy's demands? He should have just ignored him and went in search of his dear little sister, like any sane person would do, but nooooo! He had to get all emotional about it all and stutter out an agreement without a care in the world, all because ... well because ... honestly, it doesn't bare thinking about! Well - maybe the fact that he did treat Nico with pure honesty and bluntness did have some effect on it as well as that smirking yet oddly intriguing smile which still made the hundred skeletal butterflies in his gut go into a maelstrom of nerves but damn the world if he was going to admit it. Stupid, mortal, human emotions! Why couldn't he be made of stronger stuff than this; to be made of steel and molten iron rather than flimsy skin and bones that broke or scarred under the very hint of human experience? Now he was to be escorted like a condemned criminal to a deplorable prison where no doubt he was to be pricked and prodded like an exhibit at a museum of some kind ... ha, ha, yes, I'm practically an exhibit myself - I'm aware of the joke, Nico thought to himself self-deprecatingly as he tried to calm down his breathing in case of hyperventilating.

Perhaps some of the stress of the situation was the that he honestly didn’t know Will Solace too well – of course, he’d fought alongside him, confronted that maniac Octavian ... no, murdered, for there was no point in deceiving himself, ... and according to the Texan he’d become a ‘friendly face’ or whatever that meant to him but really he had no clue what to expect really. Social interactions were never his forte (Bianca had always been helpful with that when she was … with him) and meeting new people made him want to simultaneously throw up or clutch his sword like a lifeline, However, in the small window of time he had to prepare - he decided to treat the enforced socialisation in the professional and stoic fashion of his father, thus to eliminate any weak amount of trepidation at being near someone who seemed to see through his defences with unending bluntness and candour.

Therefore; he ran through what he did know about him.

William Solace, son of Apollo – meaning he was susceptible to the fatal flaw of pride which to Nico’s recollection existed in most of his father’s progeny as well as being rather unable to accept reality and a really annoying sense of their own authority. He was an archer as most of his siblings were, but Nico could see during the battle that he was not exactly Olympian (in either sense of the word) material. His aim was a little off due to manifest mental blocks probably from hidden self-loathing that Nico couldn’t quite see properly yet, his arms weren’t at the optimum physicality to draw the bow to full strength, and he obviously had a clumsy side from nerves so that trait wasn’t really concerning unless Solace got off a lucky shot. Nico fought the urge to smirk at the thought of that Custard-haired prat making a fool of himself with a bow and arrow that invaded his mind before another, more startling image of him drawing back the bowstring with those ... slightly entrancing arms as delicate fingers directed the lethal weapon on to an unsuspecting target. He fought the urge to smack himself in the head for that as he tried to stay on target.

Nico reminded himself again of the ability of his fellow sunshine addicts to curse others to only speak in rhyming couplets that can take days or even weeks to wear off (depending on strength and number of people in the spell) could be a problem but Hazel loved poetry so he’d be okay with speaking in rhyme if it made her happy as he thought might happen if he pushed the guy too far. Then there was his … obvious lack of skill in music which manifested in that truly awful dog whistle that made Nico’s ears still ring even now. While he was absolutely thankful for the quick save from Octavian's guards, it didn’t mean he was happy with the ringing eardrums that stuck with him for hours later, but if he could get hold of a little cotton wool stuffing sneakily pilfered from the medical stores it would be easy to disable if need be.

Then came his final and most impressive trait, his healing abilities which he would no doubt be using on him soon. The skills of the Children of Apollo would be useful in helping with the stabbing pain of the werewolf bites that no doubt was infected by now but that would require … physical interaction and the loss of his shirt. That. Could. Not. Happen. Not. Ever. So, he’d need to just convince the guy to merely lift the sleeve of the awful Hawaiian shirt he’d been forced to keep wearing to work on that. The fading he’d been experiencing recently had receded so there was no need for that to be addressed – honestly there was no need for three days in the infirmary anyway if a quick bandage and cleaning job was needed but flat out right saying this would be stupid – that he knew. Solace no doubt would be expecting that so a better solution would be to go in to the infirmary now, spend tomorrow preferably in sullen silence or fake sleeping, and then sneak out the following morning during the early hours of the day back to his cabin where his promise of three days would technically be over with. A sneaky and underhanded method but he was not considering any other alternatives. If there was one place Nico hated it was hospitals so getting out was the best thing he could do while flying under the Doctor’s radar.

Game plan established – Nico finally approached the Doctor cautiously with at least an arm’s length and a bit between them, so he could escape any unwanted contact. He would have to establish quickly his preferences with that and make sure that the Doctor knew not to push it when it came to his new patient, after all touch was not something he liked because it meant to his experience that it was going to be followed with pain or humiliation so there was no way in Hades he’d allow that. Sure, he’d allowed Hazel and Reyna to touch him without complaint, but they were what he considered family, so his mind automatically associated them with safety and allowed it but strangers getting too close to him was not going to happen. Boundaries had to maintained, and if they were then he could get out of this with the least amount of punching necessary.

“So, Death Boy, wanna tell me what that was all about?” the Texan drawled as he smiled like a darkish lightbulb as his mouth repeated that truly juvenile nickname for the son of Hades. Looking at him now; Nico's mind was struck by the resemblance to a bored soccer mom on Prozac – because no one in the history of his recollection should ever smile that much without some sort of drug trip involved.

“No. We are going in?” Nico shut down quickly as he gestured for the Doctor to escort him into his new prison cell. No way in absolute freaking Hades was he going to explain any of the lunacy that just occurred moments before for he couldn’t believe he’d even done that himself. To be honest, just blurting out one of his greatest secrets was not exactly the smoothest or safest way to come out and address the elephant in the room but he had been riding a high of endorphins, so he wasn’t exactly thinking straight. Originally, he was going to just work the revelation in slowly over a period of time, and just add it as a small end note on an already screwed up life but Nico never really had the impulse control to stop making dumb decisions in the moment, so he blabbed everything in the clumsiest way possible. Honestly, he didn’t want to think about it too much both out of fear that when Percy finally stopped looking like a confused walrus he’d be in a world of humiliation and shame that he’d blabbed right in front of his former crushes’ girlfriend. Annabeth didn’t deserve to hear about his … abnormal thoughts … about her ‘seaweed brain’; she was far more dignified and good to be exposed to that. His mother had always drilled into him that when speaking to girls that he shouldn’t mention things that might offend them out of respect for their own sensibilities like how many insects he’d been dared to eat by his big sister or the smell radiating from the Venice canal during the summer from the open sewer lines running through the city. Annabeth was a girl of honour, unmatched in mind and strength by any Demigod or hero of her time, and there he was telling her about his deviancy without a care for modesty or social etiquette. Stupid, moronic, dumbass move. Just had to open his big fat mouth. Hopefully he’d be able to apologise fully when he was out of the infirmary, probably followed by asking how he could make up for the offense he most likely caused her because Nico was sure if he didn’t then the ghost of Maria Di Angelo would most likely rise up from beyond the grave to box his ears in retribution. Hell, hath no fury like an Italian dead woman scorned after all.

The Doctor started forward inside of the infirmary as Nico quietly followed him; utilising every inch of his skill to be as quiet and unnoticeable as possible so people wouldn’t stare at him. He’d perfected the technic of walking heel to toe, subconsciously pulling at shadows around him to cloak his appearance and keeping his eyes downcast so he wouldn’t attract notice. Bad enough they were injured, there was absolutely no need for them to suffer being in the room with a freakshow like him if he could help it. No doubt a lot of them would again complain about his existence as they had done after the Battle of New York; whispering about how he smelled of unwashed corpses and how they were going to be sick if he didn’t leave them right now. Nico could still see the looks of distrust and loathing in their eyes, hear the hissing and grinding of their teeth as they glared at his back, and feel the aura of hatred that seemed to follow him after the after battle’s good will ran out. This was a mistake, he should have just retreated after the battle, limped off into the woods again so his already twisted and mutilated heart wouldn’t have to bear their abuse anymore. He wasn’t wanted here, wasn’t welcome here, and he knew it.

“Come on, slowpoke! Time to brood on life’s mysteries later!” Will’s call echoed as Nico suddenly felt the heavy glares of every soul inside the Infirmary, making his hand reactively shift on top of the pommel of his sword. Too many eyes were on him, Gods above he just wanted to run away and hide, but he didn’t. Nico steeled himself as he remembered his vow for three days inside this hellhole of a room, the son of Hades after all knew intimately the fate that awaited those who violated their oaths on the river Styx and didn’t want to dishonour his family any more than his mere existence ever did. Holding an icy grip on his nerves, he ignored his surroundings as best he could as he approached the cordoned off section towards the back of the infirmary next to the window where Will was practically jumping up and down in ADHD driven anxiety. As he entered, he quickly noted the three exits he could posit as escape roots as well as the total amount of potential weapons in the room and how many inhabitants could pose a significant challenge if he wanted to get away at any point. “Good, now I see you’ve never been admitted here so I’ll need to work through a patient history before we can proceed any further. Are you ready?” Will asked as he quickly clicked his pen in preparation to write down what he thought would be forthcoming answers to his questions. Unfortunately for him, Nico planned on not giving in too easily and prepared himself not to reveal anything that would make him stay here more than necessary.

“Fine, I guess!” Nico murmured as he stood with his back to the window in case he needed to breath clean air away from the foul stench of disinfectant and antiseptic. In his time in Tartarus, his nose had become extremely sensitive to certain scents and being in this room was seriously not something he ever wanted to experience again. The chemical stink bathing his sinuses was extremely unpleasant, and Nico felt a need to question the Doctor about his most likely psychotic need to exist in such a gross environment. Personally, he preferred the smell of damp earth from the forest floor where fallen leaves made everything crackle at the slightest movement and the trees that held the air still and humid. At least in the woods there were places to hide and observe away from other watching eyes; but in the small room Will invited him in – there would be no such comforts as eyes still pressed on him even now with even more curiosity.

“Great! Could you tell me your full name, date of birth, where you were born, your parent’s names including your divine parent, and your emergency contact details to start with?” Will blazed ahead as he watched Nico expectantly as he leaned against the cot in a pose he must have thought casual but just seemed forced to Nico’s eyes. Nico tried to replicate this false sense of ease by leaning on the wall next to the window – though he was careful to never have his back to Solace or to the opening just in case while he considered his response.

Will’s loaded questions caused a little unease, but Nico answered truthfully as possible anyway to avoid the useless argument refusing would create; “I was born Nico Emmanuelle di Angelo on January 28th, 1924 in Venice, Italy. My mother was Maria Isabella di Angelo and Lord Hades of the Greek Pantheon. My emergency contacts are Hazel Levesque who is a centurion of the Fifth Cohort and my half-sister as well as Reyna Avila Ramírez-Arellano who is the Praetor of the Twelfth Legion!” Nico tried not to show any hint of emotion as he listed the information out. They were standard questions that were needed but merely even saying his mother’s name was extremely hard for him even now. Ever since he’d left the Battle of New York – Nico had begun the task of trying to remember the memories stolen from by the waters of the River Lethe, especially those of his mother. He remembered small things about her, such as the softness of her hands for example and the sweetness of her voice which he often imagined sliding over someone like melted chocolate, but a lot of details were lost to the recesses of his mind. Still, he mourned her loss with solemn and wishful silence everyday as he sometimes let himself daydream of a world where she had lived longer than her tragic life demanded of her.

Will’s chicken scratch handwriting was truly awful to see for while Nico may not have much in the means of education – he still had enough to write with an elegant cursive learned decades ago even if he still wrote extremely slowly because of what he now knew to be his 'dyslexia'. Nico guessed that the rumours about doctors having bad handwriting to be true as he watched the boy in front of him scrawl clumsily across the clipboard between them. “Okay, wait, so your middle name is Emmanuelle?” Will asked as Nico fought the urge to raise his eyebrows in shocked confusion. Out of all the things he could have said, a comment on the topic of Nico’s middle name was not what he could have predicted. Mostly he thought he’d have to deal with questions on his exceptionally long life or the company he kept – not his name. Still, he nodded as he didn’t have anything else to add while scanning the bedside table for tools to keep him safe or entertained like the water jug which could act as a projectile if pushed too far or the small pad of paper with accompanying pencil which he supposed could be either jammed into a jugular or used to sooth his frantic thought process when the inevitable nightmare pushed at his sanity. “Nico Emmanuelle Di Angelo … huh, I never knew that. Your family was religious or something?” Will’s voice rang out again, this time causing him to snap his eyes directly onto him (even as small whirlpools of dead butterflies flew around inside of him at the way Will’s accent wrapped around his name in a way that just seemed … right somehow).

The topic of his religious beliefs was a subject to be broached carefully; for he might have been the progeny of a pagan god but there was no one and nothing which could dislodge the beliefs of his mother’s faith from his psyche. He was Roman Catholic and would never give up that fundamental part of himself; even if he was a … deviant pagan murdering abomination. He went to mass, took communion, whispered confessions, and lit candles in any Church he could find when on the run for his deceased family – and he was proud of it. Not once did he want to miss the ancient ceremonies of his faith for it made him feel comforted and warm to have a stability in his life like his beliefs. If Will was going to mock or berate that … in any way or form – Nico was prepared to defend it with everything he had. “Roman Catholic, got a problem with it?” he asked, making sure to keep his eyes fixed for any sudden movements that would threaten him.

Will’s head tipped to the side a little in what seemed like confusion before he spoke up in a wondering voice, “There’s no problem … it’s just … how do you still believe that stuff with what you’ve seen with your own eyes? I mean, I’m a baptised Evangelical Protestant, but after coming to Camp Half-blood and learning about the pantheons … how do you keep that faith going when you literally meet Gods everyday? No disrespect of course!” Nico’s aggression backed up a little at that as he warry but slowly started taking his hand off the pommel of his sword as the threat level decreased.

He was curious? Not pitying or acting all superior and that over the weird religious guy who still believed in his faith rather than take the existence of the Olympians as a sign he should abandon it. “The Olympians are not Gods; they are a bunch of dysfunctional, immortal, and gifted individuals – but they are not and will never be true Gods. There is no conflict therefore; since I do not pray to them except to ask for my father’s guidance which is allowed as a son and to talk to a couple of … more bearable ones who have earned my respect. Do you understand?” he mumbled out as he slowly twisted the skull ring on his finger around to avoid looking directly at the boy in front of him. It was true that when he was younger that very question of whether he was breaking the commandments of not taking any other gods but the real God and not worshiping false idols but as long as he didn’t have the intention of doing so – he didn’t really think it was a sin. After all, he had much bigger sins that he had to make up for such as having impure thoughts for those of his own gender or being a murderer.

“Interesting point of view, and I’ll be sure to ask around if I can find a person to help you if you require spiritual guidance when I’m done here. Ok; can you take off your shirt please - need to do a physical examination in order to figure out your course of treatment!" the Doctor spoke eloquently while drawing closed the partitions that enclosed the small space, making Nico internally jump at the thought of being trapped in with someone who could at any time turn on him - though in his pride, he refused to show it. Moving away from Solace as he went to draw the blinds on the open window, he considered carefully his response but what could he say? Hey, there's gaping wounds on my back so can you, a healer, leave them be just for the sake of protecting a long-standing secret - as if that would ever fly.

Nico turned back to the Doctor with a look of passive stoicism that he'd copied diligently from his father, "That is not necessary, the only wounds I have are on my upper arms which can be inspected and treated without removing any clothing. Now, are you going to do that or are we going to have a problem?" Nico tried to keep the cold tone, despite the look of annoyance and irritation on Solace's face which did not look like it belonged there.

 

* * *

he is forced to reveal the signs of torture on his back from an undisclosed incident to Will with the expressed desire never to reveal it to Hazel out of fear of triggering her because it looks like whip marks. He makes Will agree never to mention it, to hide it on the medical report, and to not discuss it with others – with Will angering him slightly by asking if he could heal it. Nico doesn’t want to heal it as he considers it a badge of honour and a symbol of his strength because it was received in service of a friend. When Will returns back when he exits the area to calm down with a leaflet on PTSD, which makes Nico mad as he knows he doesn’t have it (rather he has apparently a whole host of mental disorders according to each therapist he’s been to) and doesn’t want to be pushed off as one because he has known Veterans on the streets who have it and doesn’t want to disrespect them. He refuses the offer of therapy out of fear of 1940s conversion therapies and the fact he’s already tried being in a mental hospital with different therapeutic drugs, electronic shock treatment, and even subversion therapies but none worked on him. He left because it just got even worse because the unrest of the hospital allowed for unfriendly wraiths to attack him at night. He then orders him to stop talking because he can smell the faint honey and spice smell of his sister and doesn’t want her to know about it. He is given new clothes to wear during his stay but requests black ones as he’s still in mourning for his family and won’t disrespect their memories by wearing white, which Will says he’ll get on it because there’s an Iris guy here who can do it easy. While Will scurries away, Hazel arrives as it turns out she opted out of returning to New Rome when she saw him going into the infirmary to give up her seat to a Vulcan kid’s equipment and will instead go with the sick when they leave. She brings him a box of chocolates - she’d acquired from a passing child of Aphrodite who’d been giving them away to passing soldiers to help lift the mood - to apologise for not being there as often as she could be and for a get well soon gift as well as a hand drawn card. They play poker over different candies as they bond over their loves of drawings and devotion to their family as he slowly reveals small details about himself like the weirdest things he’d ever eaten (Crocodile for her and a raw snake for him), favourite place to go (Sierra Nevada Mountain Range in California for him and the Chugach Mountains of southern Alaska for her), and even most impressive injury (Broken nose when he creeped up on Hades and spooked him for Nico and breaking her hand the first time riding in New Orleans before breaking it again two days later because she didn’t want to wait for it to heal for Hazel). Eventually, Hazel falls asleep next to him on the bed as he volunteers to read one of the infirmaries’ storybooks for injured children with a dark twist to it about how all heroes can get away with evil as long as the person they are hurting are social outcasts as well as pointing out historical inaccuracies. After this, he wakes up in the middle of the night needing some water but the jug is empty, so he goes into the infirmary main area looking for some when he catches sight of a terrified child who thinks there’s a monster under her bed – so he grabs the bogeyman by the hair and threatens him with a stuffed fluffy bear never to come back. The bogeyman uses a slur against him as it runs away so Nico decks it – dislocating his wrist though he just pops it back into position – and tells him that at least he doesn’t pray on children like a coward. He then sleeps a little more after getting looks of respect from the rest of the patients – though it’s still uncomfortable to sleep anyway because at times he gets sleep paralysis from fear.

* * *

 


End file.
